Ricerc@Sapienza

The experimental study reports the performance of a three-chamber Microbial Electrolysis Cell equipped with a two-side cathode, which combines the COD removal in the intermediate anodic chamber, the CO2 removal from a gas mixture in the two-side cathode and the recovery of ammonium as a concentrate solution. The MEC anode was fed by a synthetic dark fermentation effluent with a nitrogen load rate of 1.7 g N/Ld while the two-side cathode was operated with a gas mixture containing CO2.

A fully biological Microbial Electrolysis Cell (MEC) aimed at biogas upgrading has been operated under different operating conditions in order to enhance CO2 removal from a synthetic biogas. Specifically, CO2 reduction into CH4 occurred at the MEC biocathode with the oxidation of organic substrates in the anodic chamber partially sustaining the energy demand of the process. In the cathode chamber, methane formation was the main driver of current generation which, in turn, sustained alkalinity generation and related CO2 sorption.

Here a three-chamber microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) has been developed to couple the CO 2 removal from a gas mixture to the ammonium nitrogen recovery. The here proposed MEC adopted an innovative two-side cathode configuration, where two identic cathodic chambers are connected in parallel by a titanium wire and separated from an intermediate anodic compartment by an anion and a cation exchange membrane (AEM and CEM).

Here, a 12-liter tubular microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) was developed as a post treatment unit for simultaneous biogas upgrading and ammonium recovery from the liquid effluent of an anaerobic digestion process. The MEC configuration adopted a cation exchange membrane to separate the inner anodic chamber and the external cathodic chamber, which were filled with graphite granules.

Here, an innovative three-chamber bioelectrochemical system configuration is proposed to combine COD, CO2 and NH4+ removal into a single device. In the proposed process, while COD oxidation and CO2 reduction occurred, respectively, in the anodic and cathodic chamber, the consequent current generation promoted the migration of target ionic species towards an intermediate accumulation chamber, across cation and anion exchange membranes, respectively.

The integration of a methane-producing microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) into two-phase anaerobic digestion (TP-AD) was investigated, by using effluents from a pilot-scale TP-AD treating the organic fraction of municipal solid waste. The MEC was aimed at exploiting residual COD of TP-AD effluents at the MEC anode in order to support CO2 removal and methane generation at the MEC cathode (fed by a CO2-rich gas phase, simulating a biogas).

The utilization of a pilot scale tubular Microbial Electrolysis Cell (MEC), has been tested as an innovative biogas upgrading technology. The bioelectromethanogenesis reaction permits the reduction of the CO2 into CH4 by using a biocathode as electrons donor, while the electroactive oxidation of organic matter in the bioanode partially sustains the energy demand of the process. The MEC has been tested with a synthetic wastewater and biogas by using two different polarization strategies, i.e.